


Under the Mistletoe

by babyjared



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cas is Gay, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Dorks in Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, dean is a dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 18:30:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5386019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyjared/pseuds/babyjared
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas are best friends, and everything is great...except that Cas may be in love with his very straight best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on Tumblr (deans-colette) for Destiel Christmas MiniBang

Cas watched as his best friend talked to Hael, the head cheerleader of Lawrence High. Sure, Dean was the quarterback, so it was pretty normal for him to be talking to her, but then he leaned in and she blushed deeply, and well, Cas had to look away. 

It really sucked being in love with your best friend. 

It was stupid, really, to have this huge crush on Dean since they were 12. The guy was obviously straight, and even if he did like guys, there was no way he would go for a guy like Cas. Dean was not only the quarterback of the football team, but he was also the most gorgeous person at school, even surpassing the girls. And Cas was, well, Cas: the brainiac with thick glasses who wore sweater vests and never really talked. A lot of people wondered why Dean still hung out with Castiel, but Dean would tell them to “shut up and mind your own business”, because “Cas is my best friend” and then he’d give him the most dazzling smile that made Castiel bush. 

They’d known each other since they were both in diapers, and have been neighbors their whole lives. Dean’s family was there after Cas’s father passed away and they had holidays at each other’s houses every year. Dean and Cas were only one year apart, but Cas was so smart he skipped a grade. Dean was thrilled, of course, to have his best friend in his grade, and Castiel was happy he would see more of the boy. 

There wasn’t an exact moment when Cas knew he was in love, more like thousands of little moments that finally seemed to make sense when Cas was asked if he had his eye on anyone at school. Dean was kind and respectful, and smart even if he tried to hide it. He was there for Cas whenever he needed it, and wasn’t even phased when Cas told him he was gay. 

“I’m gay.” Cas blurted out in the middle of Dean’s story telling. 

Dean simply looked Cas in the eye and said, “Okay, Cas.” and proceeded telling the story of how Sam broke his arm. 

Cas couldn’t believe it, and zoned out on the story until Dean hit his shoulder and asked him if he was listening. Instead, Cas blinked and said, “You don’t hate me?”

Dean looked offended and shook his head, “No, Cas, I don’t care, man. You're still my best friend.” he shrugged and saw the tears in Cas’s eyes, so he leaned over and pulled him in for a hug, “As long as you’re happy, I don’t care if you like gorillas.”

Cas laughed and pulled away, wiping his tears, then told Dean to finish his story.

“Hey, Cas, you ready?”

Dean’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and Cas pulled away from his locker and looked up at his best friend, “Uh, yeah, sorry.”

“No problem,” he shrugged and turned to walk out the doors with him, “So, you’re still bringing your pecan pie over for Christmas, right?”

Castiel rolled his eyes and saw Dean smirking, “Yes, Dean. For the hundredth time, I am making your damn pie.”

Dean chuckled deeply, and Cas blushed as Dean bumped his shoulder, he loved making him laugh, “Just making sure. Can’t have Christmas without your pie, Cas.”

“That’s all I’m good for.” Cas teased, watching Dean slide down the railing of the steps from the school. 

“Oh shut up,” Dean scoffed, waiting for Cas to walk down the steps like a normal person, “You know I love ya for your perky attitude too.” he winked. 

Cas was most definitely blushing now, and he was thankful for Sam’s timing because he was sure Dean noticed, “Ready?” the younger Winchester asked, running down the stairs. 

Dean cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from Cas to ruffle Sam’s hair, “Yeah, let’s go, dorks.”

“Hey!” the two said in unison as they followed Dean to the Impala. 

-

“So, you thinking of asking anyone to winter formal when we get back from break?” Dean asked, laying on his bed as he tossed the football up and caught it, furrowing his brows, “Is anyone else gay at school?”

Cas blushed and looked up from his laptop, “Samandriel is, but, he’s dating someone from another school. Plus, he’s not really my type.” 

Dean lifted himself onto his elbow, quirking his brow at Cas, “You have a type?”

“Hey,” Cas scoffed, “I’m not that desperate.”

“Oh come on, Cas, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” Dean said, and Cas relaxed his shoulders, “I just...didn’t know, I guess.” Cas shrugged and went back to his game, “So...what is your type?” Dean asked after a pause. 

Cas sighed, chewing on his lip and running his eyes over his best friend, “Just...someone nice, respectful, funny...and someone I can have a conversation with without wanting to get in my pants.”

Dean chuckled and Cas smirked a little, “Alright, alright, so, not a dick,” Dean said, then paused, “But definitely someone who has a dick, right?” he smirked and Cas couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You’re not even funny, Dean.” Cas chuckled.

Dean laughed too, laying back on the bed and sighing. Cas’s laugh died down and he let himself look over Dean’s body again. From the desk chair, he could easily play it off as just looking at his laptop, but he found himself fixating on the sliver of skin that showed off Dean’s pale stomach where his shirt rid up. Sure, Cas had seen Dean shirtless before, but that didn’t mean he was used to it. 

“What do you think of Hael?” Dean asked. 

Cas cleared his throat and avoided Dean’s eyes, “Um, she’s..she’s nice, I heard.” 

Dean nods and sits back up, leaning back against the headboard, “She’s crazy hot right? She’s got those big blue eyes and just-” he clears his throat, staring at the football in his hands, “But, I mean...She’s nice and popular, and...” he sighs, “Cas, I sound like a chick but I kinda...I don’t really want to ask her.”

Cas perks up and sees Dean turning the football over in his hands, “What?”

He shrugs and looks up at his best friend, “She’s just kinda, hot and nothing else, you know? We just...” Dean licks his lips and sighs, “I kinda need something more.”

“Y-yeah,” Cas stutters, his face heating up, “You can...” he sighs and gives Dean what he hopes is a reassuring smile, “You can have anyone you want, Dean, you’ll find the right person.”

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean says softly, then clears his throat, “Alright, enough with the chick flick moments,” he says, hopping off the bed, “What are you doing, man?”

Cas quickly shut his laptop and looked up at Dean, “Shopping for your present, now-”

“We said said no presents this year!” Dean scoffed, “Now I gotta get you something.” he murmurs. 

“You don’t have to get me anything, Dean,” Cas says, “Your friendship is more than enough.”

Dean rolls his eyes and deadpans, “Shut up, Cas.” 

Cas laughs and stands up, “We better help your mom with those decorations anyway,” he sighs, “My mom doesn’t want me going home because she’s wrapping presents, so, you’re kinda stuck with me.”

Dean smiles and nudges Cas, “Poor me.” he teases, “Come on, you can help me with the Star Wars ornaments before my dad sees them.”

“And you call me the nerd.” Cas mumbles, following his friend down the stairs. 

-

“Merry Christmas!” Mary greets as she opens the door to Hannah and Cas, “You two look lovely, come on in!”

“Smells wonderful, Mary,” Hannah says, handing Mary the casserole, “And the tree looks gorgeous.”

Mary laughs and Cas follows the women into the kitchen. He sets down the pie and jumps when Dean comes up and pulls his hat over his eyes, “Dean!” he grumbles turning to face a chuckling Dean, “You know I hate not being able to see.”

Dean rolls his eyes and punches his arm lightly, “It’s Christmas, Cas, don’t be a downer,” he says, “Come here man.”

Cas’s eyes widen as Dean pulls him in for a hug, and he allows himself to lean into it, taking in the scent that was Dean, a mix of his cheap, spicy cologne, and a hint of leather and mint. Cas had always loved how Dean smelt, and whenever he slept over, he made sure to ask Dean if he could borrow a shirt, just so he could have something. He still had the sweatshirt Dean leant him months ago. 

Dean pulled back and Cas could have sworn there was a blush on his cheeks, but Dean quickly got distracted by the pies, “Oh hell yes!”

Cas rolled his eyes and tried to will away his blush and the fluttering in his stomach, “Told you I wouldn’t forget.”

“You’re the best, Cas.” Dean grinned and looked at Cas, “Thanks, man.”

Cas nodded and was thankful for Sam’s timing once again as he runs in with a huge grin, “Dad said we could open presents early! Come on, guys!” he laughed and grabbed the boys’ hands and pulled them into the family room. 

They both laughed and let Sam drag them into the room, where they all sat in a circle and let Sam hand out the gifts under the tree. They were all thankful Sam had figured out Santa wasn’t real, just because it was getting harder and harder each year to keep the secret. Cas narrowed his eyes at Dean when he got a present that said “to the biggest nerd from the best person in this room” and he got a laugh out of it. Dean told him to wait until after dinner to open it, so Cas told him to wait too.

Sam went first, hugging his parents tightly when he got the science kit he’s been wanting. Dean called him a nerd, but got him a lab coat anyway, and Cas knew his smile was genuine when Sam hugged him and whispered thank you in his ear. Next, it was Cas’s turn, and he thanked his mom for the new shoes and books he’s been wanting. Mary and John got him a shirt that matched Sam and Dean’s, that said Winchester-Novak on the back, making him not only blush at the implication, but also tear up when they said he had always been a part of the family. Sam got him a a ticket to the museum they had been talking about going to for a while. 

When everyone was done, Mary pulled out the turkey and everyone rushed to the dinner table. John carved, as always, and Hannah gave thanks. Cas was always fascinated to see how much Sam and Dean ate, and he smiled when Dean dug into the pie, moaning around the piece like it was the best thing in the world. He would given Cas this huge smile, his cheeks stuffed with the pie, and Cas would look away with a blush. Sam nudged him and gave him a sly smile that made him clear his throat and sit up straighter, not knowing exactly what to make of it. 

John, Mary, Hannah, and Sam, went into the family room and tried not to groan when Sam suggested they watch Christmas with the Kranks like he did every year. Luckily, Dean and Cas snuck away just in time and went to sit out on the porch. It wasn’t too cold, but the snow on the ground set the Christmas mood, and Cas had always enjoyed looking at the lights. 

“Want to open your present?” Cas asks, looking down at the neatly wrapped present in Dean’s lap.

“Hell yes,” Dean says, ripping the paper and pausing when he sees, “Cas, no way!” he laughs and pulls out the Star Wars comic book, “Dude this is like-holy shit! It’s first edition!” he gasps and looks at Cas, “This is-Cas I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” Cas says, smiling shyly, “Some guy was an idiot and didn’t know how much it was worth, so, I got a great deal on it, I thought you might appreciate it more.”

“Dude.” Dean breathes, still looking at the comic book like it was the greatest thing he’d ever seen, and when he looked at Cas, the boy was definitely not expecting to be pulled in for a hug, “Thank you.” he whispered, “Really, this is awesome.”

Cas smiled and hugged him back, and when Dean pulled away, Cas cleared his throat, “I’m glad you like it.”

Dean nodded and gently set the comic book back in its protective packaging, “So, you want to open your present now?” Dean asks, clearing his throat.

“Oh, right,” Cas smiles and reaches into the bag, pulling out a journal. His breath gets caught in this throat.

“It’s stupid, isn't it?” Dean sighs, defeated, “You said we weren’t getting presents so I didn’t really have time to buy anything so I just-”

“Dean,” Cas shakes his head and brushes his fingers over the journal, “You kept this?”

Dean gives a shy shrug, staring at his feet, “It was important to you, you know?” he says, “We uh-remember we used to go in the old tree house and write down all our dreams and what we wanted to do when we got older? I think in there it said you wanted to be a tiger doctor.” Dean laughed, “And I said I’d be your assistant, because,” he clears his throat and looks up at Cas, “Cause your my best friend and I-I just wanted to be with you for forever, you know?”

“I...” Cas swallows thickly and feels tears well up in his eyes, “Dean I don’t know what to say.”

“Then...” Dean takes a deep breath and shakes his head, “Just...Know that,” his throat works for a moment and then he’s looking into Cas’s eyes with an intensity he’s never seen, “I still want to be with you, Cas, all the time.”

Cas blinks and he feels a tear slide down his cheek, and before he knows what he’s doing, he’s leaning in and pressing his lips to Dean’s. It’s soft, and warm, and everything he ever imagined it would be, but Dean’s tense and Cas pulls away, looking at Dean’s wide eyes with his own, and then Cas’s up and running. He doesn’t know where, but his heart is beating too fast, and his ears are pounding. 

He just kissed his best friend. His very straight best friend. He falls to his knees in the snow and tries to catch his breath, but combined with the running and anxiety, he just starts shaking, and he gives up, letting the tears fall. Everything’s ruined now, he’s going to lose his best friend and the Winchester’s are never going to want to see him again. 

“Cas!” 

Cas turns and sees Dean running after him, yelling his name, and he scrambles to his feet and heads towards the clearing of trees. When he makes it there, he freezes at the sight of Christmas lights and decorations on the trees, and jumps when a hand lands on his shoulder. 

“Cas,” Dean pants, spinning him around, “What the hell?”

Cas back away and wipes his eyes, “I’m sorry, Dean, I-I didn’t mean to it just- I’m sorry, if you want to punch me and never see me again, I get it, okay? Just make it quick and-”

“Hey!” Dean cuts him off, frowning when Cas flinches as he steps forward, “Cas, man, I’m not-I don’t hate you.”

Cas gapes at him and shakes his head, “What?”

Dean sighs and runs a hand down his face, “You’re so-you’re such an idiot, Cas, and I’m an idiot too, but...” he takes a deep breath and looks at Cas, “Look, I don’t-you know I’m not good with words but-”

“Dean, please,” Cas whispers, “It’s okay, you don’t have to-I’m sorry, okay?”

“Cas, the only thing you should be sorry for is running away.” Dean says, stepping closer, “Now, if you’d shut your big mouth for a second,” his lips quirk up a bit, “I’d tell you that I didn't mind...the kissing thing.”

All the air leaves Cas’s lungs, and he stares wide eyed at his best friend, “Dean.”

“I-Cas, you’re gay, right?” Dean says, “And I’m-I’m not...I’m not as straight as I...thought.” he says, and Cas knows he’s nervous by the way he keeps looking at his feet, “Cause...cause I kinda-I kinda like you as more than...my best friend.”

“Dean...”

“But you’re so,” he shakes his head and swallows thickly, “You know who you are and I don’t-I don’t have any of my shit together, and you’re-I didn’t want to fuck up our friendship, cause, man,” he says firmly, and Cas can see the tears in his eyes, “I can’t lose you. I need you, Cas.

“So, I-I didn’t want to tell you like this, cause I-I didn’t think you’d feel the same way but-but I wrote something in the journal, uh, the last page-” Cas looks down at the journal still in his hand and glances at Dean before opening it and finding the page. “I know it’s corny but, you like that stuff and I thought...maybe you’d...give me a chance...?”

Dean’s dream: let Cas know I love him.

“You...” Cas whispers looking up at Dean with wet eyes, “love me?

“Kind of a lot.” Dean whispers, stepping closer, “And kinda of for a while.”

Cas breathes in and out, watching the way the lights dance in Dean’s green eyes, and his breath hitches when Dean’s gloved hand finds his. He looks down at their hands and slowly looks back to see Dean only an inch or two from his face, “Cas?” he whispers, voice small and scared, like it was when Mary took them to the fair and Dean held his hand throughout the whole ride.

Cas opens his mouth to speak, but he blinks up at the snow that begins to fall, and Dean looks up too. He notices the mistletoe hanging over head, and looks back down at the boy in front of him, eyes still on the sky, and he swallows down his fears and whispers, “I love you too, Dean.”

Dean’s head snaps down to look at Cas, and he lets out a deep breath, “Really?”

Cas nods and steps closer, “And, Dean?”

“Yeah, Cas?”

“There’s mistletoe.”

Dean blinks for a moment, then looks up and back at Cas, a small smirk on his lips, “Well,” he says, bringing his hand up to Cas’s cheek, “I’ll be damned.”

Cas smiles slightly before Dean leans in to kiss him, and he sighs, leaning into it. Dean makes a surprised noise in his throat, and Cas wraps his arms around Dean’s neck, making the taller boy smile against his lips. Cas lets the warmth of Dean’s lips and embrace overwhelm him, and when he pulls away, leaning his forehead against his, he smiles and looks into those green eyes he’s known since he was just a baby.

“Merry Christmas, Dean.”

“Merry Christmas, Cas.” Dean whispers before leaning in for another kiss.


End file.
